The operator of Pensacola’s new ferry service and the National Park Service announced Wednesday that they have completed contract negotiations and that the service will start June 22.

"We are extraordinarily excited. This has been an incredibly complex process and we have cleared a major hurdle in getting the contracts finalized," said Dan Brown, superintendent of Gulf Islands National Seashore.

George Aswad, the ferry operator, said adult tickets for all-day, hop-on and hop-off rides will start at $20. Active-duty military and seniors will pay $18.50 for the tickets, children (ages 3-15) will pay $13, and frequent riders can purchase a 10-trip pass for $150.

The first ferry will depart downtown Pensacola's Commendencia Slip at 8:30 a.m. on June 22 and will head to Fort Pickens and then to Pensacola Beach. A second ferry will leave downtown at 9 a.m. and head to Pensacola Beach and then to Fort Pickens, he said.

Both 150-passenger ferries will run daily from 8:30 a.m. through 10 p.m.

Tickets will be available at pensacolabaycruises.com starting June 21. People can also call the company at 850-497-6005 with questions about the service.

Aswad, president of Gulf Coast Maritime Services Inc., said he plans to expand the service to four boats in 2019 when he will bring in a 270-passenger dinner boat and a 49-passenger ferry to supplement the two National Park Service ferries.

He plans to name the dinner boat The Pensacola Bay Lady.

Aswad, who has been in the passenger cruise business for more than 40 years, relocated to Pensacola to oversee the new operation. He also operates Island Express Ferry Service, which has shuttled passengers from Beufort, North Carolina, to Cape Lookout National Seashore since 2014.

Before starting the North Carolina service, Aswad operated ferry boats and passenger cruises in the New York area.

Pensacola's two, double-decker boats were named Turtle Runner and Pelican Perch by area school children. They were built in Bellingham, Washington, and transported to Pensacola on a cargo ship in 2017.

The ferries were originally scheduled to begin service in spring 2017, but service was delayed for a full year because of problems constructing the ferry landings and finding a contractor to operate the ferries.

The ferries are being funded with $5.2 million in restitution funds paid by oil giant BP in the aftermath of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The National Park Service is spearheading the project with coordination from the city of Pensacola, the Santa Rosa Island Authority and Escambia County.